Understanding Disability - Mental Health Issues

There is a stigma attached to the subject of mental health which is mainly due to ignorance and the negative portrayal of people with mental health issues by the media. Here are some common misconceptions about mental health:

Misconception: Mental health issues only happen to other people.
Truth: 1 in 4 of the adult population will experience mental health issues in their lifetime.

Misconception: People with mental health issues are violent and dangerous.
Truth: The risk of being killed by a stranger with a mental health issue is roughly 1:10,000,000 which are about the same probability as being struck by lightning.

Misconception: People with mental health issues are poor and/or less intelligent.
Truth: Mental health issues, like any physical issues, can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class or income level demographic.

Misconception: Mental health issues are caused by emotional weakness
Truth: People do not choose to have mental health issues and it has nothing to do with being weak or lacking will-power.

Misconception: Once you’ve had a mental health issue, you never recover
Truth: People can and do recover from mental health issues. Medications, psychological interventions, a strong support network and alternative therapy treatments from cognitive behavioural therapy to improved diet and exercise habits are also very effective in leading to a complete recovery.

Access requirements are varied for people with mental health issues and it is important to ask the individual the exact requirements they feel will assist them. However, on a general note the following access requirements may be necessary:-

Time - Allow more time - a person with a mental health issue may need more time to process information etc. They may become confused or anxious about being given too much information at one time and how to prioritise the information.

Allow flexible working hours as a person with a mental health issue may have limited timescales. They may need to work part-time or it may find working afternoons and not mornings more preferable.

Regular Breaks/Quiet Time – it may be beneficial for a person with a mental health issue to take regular breaks in order for them to gather their thoughts together. Providing a quiet and relaxing room may be greatly appreciated.

Support Worker – the provision of a support worker can be very advantageous and will be able to assist with things like prioritising etc.

Understanding Disability

As highlighted in my earlier blog, it is concerning to note that 53% of society view disabled people in a negative way. From my own personal experiences and through my work, it is clear that many people have misconceptions about disabled people and particular conditions. These misconceptions are usually formed from ignorance, fear, the traditional medical model and, most importantly, the media (at times they have a lot to answer for).

I truly believe that highlighting the positives of disability and re-educating people can, and will, make a huge difference to the lives of disabled people.

Over the next few blogs, I will take a look at several areas of disability and highlight the myths and misconceptions generally held within society. My hope is that this will help readers to understand these areas more and take a new look at their own misjudgements.

Often, when thinking of disabled people, society thinks firstly of those with a physical disability i.e. a wheelchair user but many fail to realise the broad context of disabled people and the conditions that they live their lives with. It is imperative that we first understand what the definition of “disability” is. This word that we hear so much about and which society bases judgements on seems to mean different things to different people.

So how do we define a disabled person?

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

However, defining a person by a condition/impairment is based on the Medical Model of Disability. Although this is the traditional way of defining disability, it is not very helpful and does not answer what we need to know i.e. how do we assist the person. The definition that I use is based on the Social Model of Disability which states that it is a person who has the loss of opportunity due to the barriers put up by society. There is a slight difference between the two definitions in that the former focuses on the individual’s inability to do things as opposed to the later which focuses on the barriers that are put in the way.

Arguably there is a need to group various disabled people together and the general groups would be people with physical impairments (including wheelchair users), people with visual impairments, people with hearing impairments, people with Learning Difficulties and people with mental health issues. It is useful to know the general access requirements for people within a group i.e. offering large print, Braille or audio tape etc to people with visual impairments. However, I must stress that these are only basic guidance and in all cases you should establish the access requirements of the individuals within their group.

I hope over the coming blogs that you will gain a better insight in to the various areas of disability and those access requirements that society needs to adopt.